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Precious Cargo
Space trader Malo Kemp leaves the bottle behind for an assignment he can't refuse; after all, shipping freight across the known worlds is what he does best. He thinks he knows about his goods and his passenger; the mysteriously cool Miranda. But as they travel through the hard vacuum of space the past begins to catch up with Malo, and nothing is quite what it seems.
The Malo Kemp Assignments are a series of short space opera genre tales each of which stand on their own, or can be read as a series focusing on the eponymous central character - Malo Kemp security consultant and trade entrepreneur.
The Malo Kemp Assignments are a series of short space opera genre tales each of which stand on their own, or can be read as a series focusing on the eponymous central character - Malo Kemp security consultant and trade entrepreneur.
18 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2012
3 people want to read
About the author
Andrew J. Chamberlain
16 books72 followersAndrew J Chamberlain is a writer and creative writing tutor. His passion is to entertain and inspire readers with a range of authentic characters, acting within a great story. His latest novel 'The Centauri Survivors' was published in 2019.
He is the presenter of "The Creative Writer's Toolbelt" a regular podcast giving practical, accessible advice.
His commercially published works include three ghostwriting projects: 'A night out with the boys' (2007) 'Once an Addict?' (2007) and 'Conquering the Dragon' (2008); all through Authentic Media. Since its publication 'Once an Addict?' has sold 100k copies.
His space opera short story series, 'The Malo Kemp Assignments', and the standalone story 'Traveller's Blues"' - which he uses as a source for examples in the podcast, are available through all ebook retailers.
More recently he helped a friend write his life story based on 50 years in show business. Mick Malcolm's "Following Me Feet: A Performer's Life" is available through Kindle.
You can find out more about Andrew, get in touch, and access creative writing resources at: www.andrewjchamberlain.com
He is the presenter of "The Creative Writer's Toolbelt" a regular podcast giving practical, accessible advice.
His commercially published works include three ghostwriting projects: 'A night out with the boys' (2007) 'Once an Addict?' (2007) and 'Conquering the Dragon' (2008); all through Authentic Media. Since its publication 'Once an Addict?' has sold 100k copies.
His space opera short story series, 'The Malo Kemp Assignments', and the standalone story 'Traveller's Blues"' - which he uses as a source for examples in the podcast, are available through all ebook retailers.
More recently he helped a friend write his life story based on 50 years in show business. Mick Malcolm's "Following Me Feet: A Performer's Life" is available through Kindle.
You can find out more about Andrew, get in touch, and access creative writing resources at: www.andrewjchamberlain.com
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 15, 2012
I read this story when it was linked from a forum my book club uses. Ideally, if Goodreads did half stars, I'd give it a 3.5, which is halfway between "liked it" and "really liked it."
I enjoyed this story as a bite-sized story of a delivery completed by Malo Kemp. To be frank, I enjoyed it much more than many of the 99-cent iPhone games I've bought. I did have a couple of issues with it. They're not huge show-stoppers, but things that the author may keep in mind on his next publication...it's what kept this from getting 4 stars.
1) There were a lot of cliches in it. It read a bit like a spoof western where everybody talks in cliches. It was cute at first but got a bit stale.
2) The ending felt unresolved. When I got to the end of the story, I didn't understand why Malo described this run the way he did in the beginning.
3) It felt in some way like a teaser for a bigger book. There was a bit of world-building which felt unnecessary, given the length. Don't get me wrong, I liked the picture painted, it just seemed a bit much for how much story there was.
I know those seem like critiques, and I guess it's meant to be constructive. I really did enjoy the story. I kinda want to know what else is going on, maybe see a larger adventure for Malo. Also, I'd love to see why the people that contracted him for the job knew about him, why they relied on their knowledge as they did. There was one confusing (to me) plot hole about Malo buying navigation equipment which didn't make a lot of sense.
That all said, as stories go, this one was enjoyable. At 99-cents or free, it was worth the price of admission.
I enjoyed this story as a bite-sized story of a delivery completed by Malo Kemp. To be frank, I enjoyed it much more than many of the 99-cent iPhone games I've bought. I did have a couple of issues with it. They're not huge show-stoppers, but things that the author may keep in mind on his next publication...it's what kept this from getting 4 stars.
1) There were a lot of cliches in it. It read a bit like a spoof western where everybody talks in cliches. It was cute at first but got a bit stale.
2) The ending felt unresolved. When I got to the end of the story, I didn't understand why Malo described this run the way he did in the beginning.
3) It felt in some way like a teaser for a bigger book. There was a bit of world-building which felt unnecessary, given the length. Don't get me wrong, I liked the picture painted, it just seemed a bit much for how much story there was.
I know those seem like critiques, and I guess it's meant to be constructive. I really did enjoy the story. I kinda want to know what else is going on, maybe see a larger adventure for Malo. Also, I'd love to see why the people that contracted him for the job knew about him, why they relied on their knowledge as they did. There was one confusing (to me) plot hole about Malo buying navigation equipment which didn't make a lot of sense.
That all said, as stories go, this one was enjoyable. At 99-cents or free, it was worth the price of admission.
Displaying 1 of 1 review